NEWARK, N.J. - Binghamton men's basketball shot 53 percent and completed a weekend sweep of host NJIT (7-11, 6-10 America East) with a 72-58 victory Sunday afternoon at the Wellness and Events Center. The Bearcats (4-13, 4-10 AE) put four in double figures and used a 41-point second half to notch the win in the regular-season finale for both teams. 

With the victory - BU's third in its last four games - the Bearcats will carry momentum into their America East tournament first-round matchup against No. 4 seed Hartford Saturday afternoon in Hartford. 

On Sunday, BU nearly matched its sharp shooting from a day before and used a 17-8 run midway through the second half to pull away from the Highlanders. After opening the second half with a 12-2 run to take the lead, BU led 50-44 with 8:28 left. The decisive run spanned nearly seven minutes and featured six points from senior center Thomas Bruce (6-8 FG, 12 pts.) and five from sophomore guard Dan Petcash (16 pts.). 

Sophomore forward George Tinsley shared the scoring lead with Petcash after converting 6-of-7 shots for 16 points. Despite being saddled with foul trouble (23 min.), sophomore guard Tyler Bertram added 11 points and a team-high six assists. Sophomore guard Hakon Hjalmarsson added eight points and six boards. 

One day after making 13 of its first 17 shots and shooting 57%, Binghamton made 7-of-11 to start on Sunday and again eclipsed the 50% mark. After NJIT took a 32-31 halftime lead, BU opened the second half with a 12-2 run that featured seven points from Tinsley. The game featured four ties and eight lead changes before BU took control midway through the second half.   

"It was a great weekend for us," head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "Our young guys are getting better and Thomas (Bruce) being healthy makes a huge difference. Our kids are playing extremely hard and are gaining confidence. We are peaking at the right time of year and looking forward to March Madness."